Surat Yusuf & The Final Messenger (S) Part 1

 

1. The story of Yusuf(AS) was revealed in the late Makki period. However it is not clear whether the devastating things(Death of Khadija(RA) and Uncle) had happened or were about to happen. Either way, we know the Prophet(SAW) was experiencing very intense things during the late Makki period.

2. The story of Yusuf(AS) is a remarkable story on its own. The sole purpose of the story is not to find parallels between the Prophet(SAW) and Yusuf(AS).

3. However, while reflecting on Yusuf(AS)'s story, we will definitely find some parallels between them since both stories are made by the same author - Allah. 

4. One of the most prominent parallels between this story and the Seerah of the Prophet(SAW) is the Surah An-Nasr. So we will study certain things about this Surah.

5. There are two views as to when this Surah was revealed. The most famous view is that this was revealed after the conquest, in the late-life of the Prophet(SAW). This is based on the view of Ibn Abbas(RA). In his opinion, this Surah was revealed to the Prophet(SAW) because Allah is telling him(SAW) that the mission is done and that he(SAW) is going to return back to Allah soon. So, using this as evidence, many people believe that this was revealed much later in the Prophet(SAW)'s life.

6. The second view is that this Surah was revealed much early on in the Prophet(SAW)'s life, probably even before migration. It is a promise of victory. The argument for this is the wording of the Surah itself. 

7. The first word of the Surah "IZA" means "When". However, there are two types of "when" - the "when" meant for the past as in the sentence "When I ate a sandwich, I felt sick." and the "when" meant for the future as in the sentence "When I will eat a sandwich, I will be happy."

8. In English both these "when" look the same but in Arabic when the action has already happened(past) the words used are "HEENA", "LAMMA", or "IZ"(Not "IZA"). And when the action is going to happen(future) the word "IZA" is used.

9. Since the word "IZA" was used in this Surah, we can safely say that the conquest has not yet happened and will happen in the future which shows that this Surah was revealed before the conquest. 

10. We can also understand Ibn Abbas's comment on this Surah being that this Surah told the Prophet(SAW) that when the conquest happens, the mission is completed and it will be time for the Prophet(SAW) to return back to Allah.

11. There are two terms in this Surah - "NASRU LLAH "(Aid/Help of Allah) and "FATH"(Victory). These are used in the first Ayah. The first word that comes is "NASR" and then "FATH" which is logical as first, you need help and with that help comes then victory.

12. There is a principle in the Qur'an - The Qur'an elaborates itself. The 48th Surah of the Qur'an is Surah Al-Fath. Here, the beginning has both "FATH" and "NASR" just like Surah An-Nasr. So, there has to be a connection between them.

13. Surah Al-Fath was revealed after the treaty of Hudaibiyyah which everyone thought was a loss of the Muslims since all the conditions were against them. 

14. However, until this treaty, the Muslims were considered outlaws, illegals, or rebels. By signing the treaty with the Muslims, the Quraysh acknowledged that Muslims are a real entity because you don't sign a treaty with criminals. And since the Quraysh were the most influential tribe in Arabia, this sent the message to the rest of Arabia that the Muslims are powerful people and are no longer outlaws.

15. Also, the Quraysh were bent on killing these Muslims a year ago(Uhud) and now they come unarmed, yet the Quraysh are powerless to kill them. So the rise of power in the Muslims and the decline of power in the Quraysh is shown in this treaty.

16. Now the whole of Arabia becomes aware that the Quraysh were powerless to kill the Muslims and instead had to negotiate with them. They become curious about Islam and go and meet the Prophet(SAW). And, within that year, tribe after tribe are coming to accept Islam, and although Makkah has not been conquered yet, the stage has already been set. 

17. The treaty, although being disadvantageous, was the first step to victory. And from now on, all the people accepting Islam is through Allah's help. Even though Makkah is not conquered yet, Allah knows what will happen and He says that victory has already come and now all the Sahaba will see is help from Allah. This is why in Surah Al-Fath, the word "FATH" was mentioned first, and then the word "NASR" is mentioned. 

18. The Quraysh didn't oppose the Prophet(SAW) because they loved the idols, they opposed him(SAW) because they loved the economic power the idols gave them, and Islam, to them, practically means a power shift. They couldn't stand the Prophet(SAW) having supremacy over them.

19. If Surah An-Nasr was revealed early on in Makkah, then it means that Allah has already shown the Prophet(SAW) that he(SAW) will have dominance over his(SAW)'s tribal brethren.

20. In the beginning, Yusuf(AS) got a revelation in the form of a dream and that also practically means dominance over his(AS)'s brothers.

21. The brothers couldn't stand it. So they made plans to kill Yusuf(AS) or at least expel him(AS).

22. The Quraysh decided to expel the Prophet(SAW) in the valley outside Makkah and then attempted to kill him(SAW).

23. The Prophet(SAW) went to a foreign land - Madinah. 
Yusuf(AS) went to a foreign land - Egypt.

24. Allah said that He settled Yusuf(AS) in the land(Egypt).
The Prophet(SAW) was settled in Madinah.

25. Just before Hudaibiyyah, Allah showed the Prophet(SAW) a dream that he(SAW) is going to do Hajj. The only way that was possible was if the Prophet(SAW) had dominance over the current rulers of Makkah - the Quraysh.

26. At the end of Surah Al-Fath, the Surah that was revealed when the treaty was signed, the Surah that was revealed after the first step to dominance was taken, Allah says that the dream of the Prophet(SAW) will be fulfilled. The word used for the dream was "RU YA" and the word used for "all truth" is "HAQ".

27. Yusuf(AS) is being shown respect by his(AS)'s brothers and he(AS) said to his(AS)'s father "This is the interpretation of my "RU YA" long ago. Verily Allah has made it "HAQ". 

28. In Surah Al-Fath, Allah says to the Prophet(SAW) "You will enter the Sacred Mosque if Allah wills, safely."

29. In Surah Yusuf, Yusuf(AS) says to his(AS)'s father "Enter Egypt, if Allah wills, safely."

30. The word " 'ARSH" was mentioned in Yusuf(AS)'s story. 
The story of the Prophet(SAW) ends with the liberation of the one thing from this world that is connected to the " 'ARSH" of Allah - The Ka'aba.

31. The amazing part is that when this Surah was being revealed it wasn't just the Muslims who were listening, the Quraysh were listening too. It is as if the Prophet(SAW) is telling them that Shaitan is getting to them and that they are like the brothers of Yusuf(AS).

32. In Surah Al-Fath, the word used for when the blood starts boiling for tribal identity is "HAMIYAH" which means "group arrogance". 
One of the synonyms of this word is " 'ATHABIYYAH" which is used in Surah Yusuf by the brothers as " 'UTHBAH".

33. To conclude, there are two sets of parallels. The first is the promise(dream & revelation) and the things it led to. 

34.The second is the brothers who could be thought of as the Quraysh in many ways and also as the Israelites in Madinah who are also brethren to the Prophet(SAW) through Ibrahim(AS).

35. In the story of Yusuf(AS), the brothers were lost yet they considered their father a lost cause.
The Quraysh were lost yet they considered the call to the religion their father[Ibrahim(AS)] was on a lost cause.

36. The central place, where Yusuf(AS) spent most of his(AS)'s life, is Egypt. Allah gave Yusuf(AS) the control of Egypt. They became the worldly standard of success. There is a pyramid till today on a dollar bill. All the monuments, palaces, resources, rivers, the army were given to Yusuf(AS) by Allah. 

37. The central place, where the Prophet(SAW) spent most of his(AS)'s after becoming a Prophet life, is Madinah. He(SAW) got believers. He(SAW) got people, those are his(SAW)'s resources - the Sahaba. They impacted the world too but in a more spiritual sense.

38. So, the height of material success was given to Yusuf(AS) in the victory of his(AS)'s life. And the height of spiritual success was given to the Prophet(SAW) in the victory of his(SAW)'s life.